Making changes in an XML file

Hi All,

If we make a change in an XML file, we need not do any recompilation obviously and that's why we use XML files but we do have to restart the server right? Is there any way we don't have to even restart the server?

Thanks.
[ October 20, 2008: Message edited by: Arjun Reddy ]

What XML file(s) are you speaking of?

Say web.xml or strutsconfig.xml or log4j.properties file.. anything.

You don't generally need to restart the server (except for Log4J which may depend on where you put the config), but you'll need to restart the web application.

You can make a mechanism in your application to keep on looking for changes in the XML file and reload it when it changes. Or create a simple servlet/jsp to notify about the changes in XML to reload that instead of keep on looking for changes.

Originally posted by Vinod K Singh:
You can make a mechanism in your application to keep on looking for changes in the XML file and reload it when it changes. Or create a simple servlet/jsp to notify about the changes in XML to reload that instead of keep on looking for changes.

You cannot reload the deployment descriptor or other config files under code control.

Originally posted by Bear Bibeault:

You cannot reload the deployment descriptor or other config files under code control.

Thats true for deployment descriptor. But one can load other application specific configuration files and refresh the values at runtime.

Those do not appear to be the type of files that the poster is asking about.

Say web.xml or strutsconfig.xml or log4j.properties file.. anything.

Not exactly. He is too general, see the anything in his message.

Can we use tools like Cruise Control so that we can make changes in the XML file but need not restart the server?

Thanks.

Originally posted by Arjun Reddy:
Can we use tools like Cruise Control so that we can make changes in the XML file but need not restart the server?

Thanks.

Depends. There are other major reasons for why should you need a cruise control. Questions pertaining to it would go there.

[ October 21, 2008: Message edited by: Akhilesh Trivedi ]

Cruise Control is a continuous build tool, it has nothing to do with applications or servers.